Combination of ovarian tissue harvesting and immature oocyte collection for fertility preservation increases preservation yield.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of combined ovarian tissue cryopreservation and oocyte aspiration just before ovarian tissue cryobanking. A retrospective cohort study of fertility preservation patients treated in 2007-2013 in one tertiary centre was performed. A total of 255 cancer patients were admitted for fertility preservation: 142 patients underwent ovarian tissue cryopreservation only (OTC), 56 underwent OTC plus oocyte retrieval from ovarian tissue (OTIVM), nine underwent oocyte aspiration and in-vitro maturation (AIVM) and 48 underwent all three procedures. The total number of oocytes, total number of metaphase II (MII) oocytes, maturation rate, fertilization rate and total number of cryopreserved oocytes between groups were compared. The study found significantly more oocytes (P < 0.001), more MII oocytes (P < 0.001), better maturation rate (P < 0.01) and more cryopreserved oocytes (P < 0.05) with all three compared with OTIVM or OTC. No adverse outcome was observed by performing oocyte retrieval before ovarian resection for cryopreservation. In conclusion, oocyte aspiration just before ovarian tissue cryobanking is safe and gains more oocytes with a better maturation rate than ovarian tissue oocyte cryobanking alone. Better results were obtained with 3 days of stimulation before oocyte retrieval.

Morphology and clinical outcomes of embryos after in vitro fertilization are superior to those after intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

OBJECTIVE: To compare embryos obtained after IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) regarding morphology and the likelihood of achieving clinical pregnancy. DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: An IVF unit controlling 1,310 cycles in 1996. PATIENT(S): Women having a total of 477 IVF and 475 ICSI consecutive cycles. INTERVENTION(S): Ovarian stimulation, IVF-ET, or ICSI-ET for all couples. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Number of grade-A embryos transferred, preclinical pregnancy losses, and clinical pregnancy rates in IVF and ICSI cycles. RESULT(S): In comparison with the ICSI group, the IVF group showed significantly more grade-A embryos available for transfer (mean, 2 +/- 1.6 versus 1.8 +/- 1.5), significantly fewer preclinical pregnancy losses (1.6% versus 4%), and significantly higher clinical pregnancy rates (25% versus 19.1%). CONCLUSION(S): Embryos obtained after IVF are superior to those obtained after ICSI in relation to embryo morphology and the likelihood of achieving clinical pregnancy.

Anti-Mac-1 antibodies and early pregnancy loss in mice.

This study focused on the role of adhesion molecules in early pregnancy in mice. Injection of anti-Mac-1 antibodies during early pregnancy resulted in early pregnancy loss (only 30.7% of mice in the group injected with anti-Mac-1 antibody were pregnant compared with 87.5% of controls), while mice treated with anti-Mac-1 antibodies during late pregnancy did not show a significant abortive effect (68.8% mice in the treated group were pregnant compared with 92.9% of control mice). Anti-LFA-1 alpha, LFA-1 beta or mouse Ag-Eb antibodies, when injected during early pregnancy, caused a nonsignificant decrease in pregnancy rate ranging between 15% and 25% (P > 0.05), while anti-Thy-1.2 antibodies demonstrated a marginal effect only. Staining of uterine tissue sections, collected on days 4-6 of pregnancy, with anti-Mac-1 antibodies, demonstrated antibody bound to cells in the deep endometrium and in the myometrium but not in the uterine area close to the lumen or on the surface of the blastocyst. These results indicate a possible role for the Mac-1 antigen in early pregnancy.